North Dakota

Constitution-carrying legislator secures victory in North Dakota

The North Dakota House passed the Convention of States application earlier this week 63-29.

It’s the widest margin of victory a Convention of States resolution has ever had, and it’s largely thanks to the efforts of Representative Jim Kasper.

Known for carrying a copy of the Constitution in his breast pocket, Representative Kasper has served eight sessions in the North Dakota House.

“For many years I’ve felt Congress needed to be reined in,” said Kasper. “When I read Mark [Levin]’s book and looked at the movement across the nation, I decided to file the resolution that Mark is supporting.”

Kasper has been involved in North Dakota politics since the 1980s, and he’s become increasingly uncomfortable with the direction of the federal government.

“I believe that the Constitution means what it says literally,” Kasper explained. “I don’t believe the Constitution is a living document that is reinterpreted every year by judges who don’t care what the Founders wanted or what the founding principles were.”

Kasper believes the Article V approach is the best way to push back on this abuse of federal power. It is, as he said, “the last hope to rein in the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the federal government.”

The first hurdle for the Convention of States application in North Dakota was the Government and Veteran affairs committee, which Kasper chairs.

Under Kasper’s expert guidance, the committee heard four Article V resolutions in one day and passed all four of them. By Wednesday they had passed the House floor as well.

“It was historic,” said Kasper. “I don’t know if there are any other legislatures in the country that passed so many Article V applications.”

Now the Convention of States resolution goes to the North Dakota Senate, where Kasper believes it has a good chance of passing, though not by so wide a margin.

“I think there will be a little more effort needed in the Senate,” said Kasper. “But I’m pretty confident that we’ll pass.”

Kasper said an informational email to your North Dakota Senator will go a long way towards ensuring a victory in the Senate. He advises including a few bullet points about Article V and why you support the Convention of States Project’s resolution, as well as what other states are doing around the country.

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